Bitcoin Outshines Nasdaq 100 Amid Market Turmoil

Bitcoin (BTC), the world’s leading cryptocurrency by market cap, is outperforming traditional financial markets, including the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100. While the Nasdaq 100 has plunged over 16% year-to-date, Bitcoin is down by just 12%, signaling a growing decoupling between crypto and U.S. equities.

This divergence became even more apparent over the past 24 hours, with Bitcoin rising nearly 3% as the S&P 500 tumbled 5.47% in a single session—its sharpest drop in months. The flagship index is now down 8% over the last five days, contributing to a massive $5 trillion loss in U.S. stock market value over just two trading days.

Despite a sharp drop following a recent U.S. tariff announcement, Bitcoin quickly rebounded, showcasing resilience not mirrored by traditional assets. The cryptocurrency is flat on a weekly basis but continues to surprise skeptics, including gold bulls, as even gold—long seen as a safe haven—plunged alongside equities.

Bitcoin has now reached a new all-time high relative to the “Magnificent Seven” tech giants like Apple and Amazon. Meanwhile, altcoins like XRP and Solana (SOL) have surged over 5%, riding the wave of Bitcoin’s relative strength.

Shares of MicroStrategy (MSTR), a major institutional holder of Bitcoin, also gained 2.5%, defying the broader market slump. Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas called Bitcoin’s market behavior a “minor miracle,” while former broker Jeff Walton said the trend is sure to “freak TradFi analysts out.”

As crypto’s independence from traditional markets strengthens, Bitcoin’s recent performance may mark a pivotal shift in investor sentiment, further validating its role as a unique, resilient asset in volatile times.